David prepares for the construction of the *temple Ė 1 Chronicles
21:1-29:30

Davidís *sin and Godís goodness Ė 1 Chronicles 21:1-30

David counts the people Ė 1 Chronicles 21:1-30

v1 *Satan acted against *Israel, and he persuaded
David to count the *Israelites. v2 So, David spoke to Joab and the
leaders of the army. ĎGo and count all the *Israelites from Beersheba to
Dan. Then report to me. Then I will know how many there are.í

v3 But Joab said, ĎThe people in this nation are
the *LORDís. He can increase their numbers 100 times. My *lord and king, the
*Israelites are all your servants. You should not want to do this, my *lord.
You will make *Israel guilty of *sin.í

v4 But the king still ordered Joab to go. So, Joab
left and he went through all *Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. v5 Joab
gave to David the total count of the people. There were 1 100 000 men
in all *Israel who could use a sword. And there were 470 000 men in Judah
who could use a sword.

v6 But Joab did not count the *tribes of Levi and
Benjamin. He did not include these because the kingís order disgusted him. v7
God was angry at this count and so he punished *Israel.

v8 Then David spoke to God. ĎI have *sinned
greatly by what I have done. Now, please forgive me, your servant, because I
have been very foolish.í

v9 The *LORD spoke to Davidís *prophet, who was
called Gad. v10 ĎGo and say this to David. ďThis is what the *LORD
says to you. I offer you three choices. Choose one of them and I will do it to
you.Ē í

v11 So, Gad went to David and spoke to him. ĎThis
is what the *LORD says to you. ďMake your choice. v12 You can
choose three years in which people will starve. Or you can choose three months
in which you will have to run away from your enemies. They will chase you and
they will attack you with their swords. Or you can choose three days of
punishment from the *LORDís sword. That means that terrible disease will spread
through the country. The *angel of the *LORD will go through *Israel and he
will kill many people.Ē Now tell me what you have decided. I must give an
answer to the *LORD, because he sent me to you.í

v13 David said to Gad, ĎI am in great trouble. Let
the *LORD punish me, because the *LORD is very kind. Do not let people punish
me.í

v14 So, the *LORD sent a terrible disease into
*Israel. And 70 000 *Israelites died. v15 God sent an *angel
to destroy Jerusalem. But as the *angel was doing so, the *LORD saw it. He was
very sorry because of the *disaster. He spoke to the *angel who was destroying
it. ĎStop, that is enough.í The *angel of the *LORD stopped. He was standing at
the yard where Araunah the *Jebusite used to prepare his grain.

v16 David looked up and he saw the *angel of the
*LORD. The *angel was standing in the sky, between heaven and earth. The *angel
held his sword in his hand. He reached out with the sword over Jerusalem. Then
David and the leaders fell with their faces to the ground. They wore rough
clothes to show that they were sorry.

v17 David said to God, ĎI gave the order to count
the people. I have *sinned and I have been very wicked. These people followed
me like sheep and they did nothing wrong. *LORD my God, punish me and punish my
family. But please stop the terrible disease that is killing your people.í

v18 Then the *angel of the *LORD told Gad to speak
to David. He had to tell David to build an *altar to the *LORD. David had to go
up to the yard where Araunah the *Jebusite used to prepare his grain. David had
to build the *altar there. v19 So, David obeyed what the *LORD had
said. And he did what Gad told him to do.

v20 While Araunah was preparing his wheat, he
turned round. And he saw the *angel. His 4 sons who were with him hid
themselves. v21 Then David came. As soon as Araunah saw him, he
left the yard. And he came and he fell down with his face to the ground in
front of David.

v22 David said to him, ĎSell me the yard where you
prepare your grain. I will build there an *altar to the *LORD. Then the disease
will stop and people will not die. Sell it to me at the proper price.í

v23 Araunah said to David, ĎTake it. Let my *lord
the king do what seems good to him. I will also give you *oxen for the
*sacrifices by fire. Take the boards that I use to prepare the grain. Use them
as wood for the fire. Use the wheat for the grain *sacrifice. I give it all to
you.í

v24 But King David said to Araunah, ĎNo, I will pay the
proper price for it all. I will not take for the *LORD what is yours. I will
not give him *burnt *sacrifices that cost me nothing.í

v25 So, David paid Araunah 600 *shekels weight of
gold for the place. v26 David built an *altar to the *LORD there.
He made whole *sacrifices by fire and *sacrifices for peace. He prayed to the
*LORD. The *LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the *altar for *burnt
*sacrifices.

v27 Then the *LORD told the *angel to put his
sword back into its holder. v28 At that time, David saw that the
*LORD had answered him there. So, David made *sacrifices at the yard where
Araunah the *Jebusite used to prepare his grain. v29 Moses made the
*LORDís tent while the *Israelites were in the desert. That tent and the *altar
for *burnt *sacrifices were at the place of *worship in Gibeon. v30 But
David could not go there to speak with God. He was afraid of the *angel of the
*LORDís sword.

Verses 1-3 This account of Davidís life misses a period of years.
During that time, there had been the problems with his son Absalom and other
crises. These events are in 2 Samuel chapters 13 to 23. They took about 20
years. The writer of Chronicles does not record them. The reason for this is
that they did not match his purpose. He wanted to encourage the *exiles as they
returned from Babylon. So, he shows how God was in control of their history.
The count in this chapter probably happened about 975 *BC.

*Satan hates God and all who trust in God. He was an enemy of
*Israel because the *Israelites are Godís special people. He persuaded David to
order this count. So, David ordered Joab to count the people from Beersheba to
Dan. The phrase ĎBeersheba to Daní means the whole country of *Israel from the
south to the north.

We do not know why David wanted to count the people. It may have
been because he was proud of himself. He wanted to know the extent of his
power. It could have been for practical reasons. Perhaps he wanted to know how
large an army he could have in a war. Or perhaps he had a scheme to tax the
people in order to get money for the government.

It was not always wrong to count the people (for example, see
Numbers chapters 1 and 26). But God had given Moses clear instructions about
such counts (Numbers 3:47-48). Foreign kings might count their people for any
reason. But the *Israelites were different, because they were the *LORDís
people. So when a leader counted the *Israelites, he had to pay a price for
their lives. He would do this by means of a tax that he collected from them at
the same time. The leader could not keep that tax. He paid the money to the
priests. They used it for the *worship of God at the *LORDís tent (or
afterwards, at the *temple). God also told Moses that the *Israelites must not
count the *tribe of Levi with the soldiers. That was because they belonged to
God in a special way.

However, David did not obey Godís instructions about the count.
Joab knew that it was wrong to count the people at this time. He was the
commander of Israelís army. Joab was a wicked man (1 Kings 2:5-6). But even he
realised that David was not trusting God. Joab protested that the *LORD could
make *Israelís army strong enough for any battle. He urged David not to begin
the count. Joab knew that the result would be punishment on *Israel. The *LORD
was already angry against *sin in *Israel (2 Samuel 24:1). But David did what
was wrong. He counted the people and he did not pay the price for their lives.
So, the *LORD punished him. And also, the people in *Israel suffered as well.

Verses 4-6 David insisted that Joab must obey his order. He told
Joab to go and Joab obeyed him. He and his officers went through all *Israel.
The task took them almost 10 months. Then they came and they gave to David the
results of their count.

The total for all *Israel was 1 100 000 men. This
number included 300 000 men who were already in the army. (The number of
the soldiers in 27:1-9 is 288 000 but with other officers this would be
about 300 000. In the account in 2 Samuel 24:9, the total is 800 000
men. That total does not seem to include the men who were already in the army.)

Davidís orders so disgusted Joab that he did not count all the
*tribes. He left out the *tribes of Levi and Benjamin. Later David ordered a
count of the *tribe of Levi (23:3). Joab may have left them out because of
their tasks in *Israelís religion (Numbers 1:47). If the count were for the
purpose of taxes, this would not include the *Levites. Also, they could not be
soldiers. But there can be no such reason for him not to count Benjamin.

Verses 7-8 God was angry about the count and David now realised
it. His conscience told him how wrong he had been. He confessed that he had
*sinned. Now he knew that he had been foolish. He asked God to forgive him. But
in order to *repent, it is not enough just to be sorry. A person must also turn
away from *sin. David had not paid the tax for the *LORDís tent or the *temple.
He had not paid the price for the lives of his men. And he had not given
*sacrifices so that Godís punishment would be against the animals instead of
the people.

So although David had asked God to forgive him, Davidís wrong
action would still have an effect. The result was that God punished *Israel.

Verses 9-13 God spoke to a man whose name was Gad. Gad was a
*prophet by means of whom God had spoken to David before. When David was hiding
from Saul, Gad had advised him to go to Judah (1 Samuel 22:5). Later he helped
David and Nathan to organise the *Levites for the *temple (2 Chronicles 29:25).
Also he made a record of all the events that happened during the rule of David
(1 Chronicles 29:29).

God chose this *prophet, Gad, to speak to David on his behalf. By
this means, God gave David three choices of punishment for his *sin. Davidís
choices were three years, three months or three days.

The first choice was three years of hunger in *Israel. During
those three years, many of the people would starve to death.

The second choice was three months of defeat for *Israel. During
those three months, enemy armies would kill many *Israelites. Much of the land
that David had gained in battles he would lose. The nation would suffer shame
and it would lose its power in the region.

The third choice was three days of death by disease in *Israel.
In these three days, the *angel of the *LORD would move through the nation. He
would kill many people.

Each of these punishments would reduce the number of people in
*Israel. So Davidís count would not still be accurate. But David could see that
it was right for God to punish *Israel.

David was still unwilling to do what God wanted him to do. God
did not want to punish the *Israelites, but David had still not paid the price
for their lives. The *prophet had told David about Godís judgement. But we do
not yet read that David was praying for the people. And David was not offering
*sacrifices for them. God forgives when there is a *sacrifice. That is because
Godís judgement acts against the *sacrifice instead of the person or people.

David chose the direct punishment of the *LORD. David was wise
not to trust people. They could be cruel and they would know no limits. But the
*LORD is a God of sympathy. He is a God who pities his people. The *LORD would
not punish more than was necessary.

*Israel could not avoid the punishment. 70 000 people died
from a sudden, terrible disease.

Verse 15 The *angel began to destroy Jerusalem. People were
starting to die in the city. The *angel got as far as the yard where Araunah
was preparing his grain. But when the *LORD saw this, he stopped the *angel.

David was right. The *LORD is a God who has sympathy for his
people. The *LORD pities his people. So, he reduced the punishment for their
*sin.

Verses 16-17 David and the leaders were *repenting of their *sin.
They were genuinely humble. They came to the place in rough clothes. They were
sorry for what they had done. When they saw the *angel in the air, they fell
down with their faces to the ground.

David spoke to God. Again, he confessed his *sin. This time, he
accepted the total blame for everything that had happened. The people did only
what he told them to do. Therefore, he said that he alone was to blame. He
prayed that God would the stop the punishment of the people. He and his family
should take all the punishment. He was responsible for everything that had
happened to the people.

Verses 18-21 The *angel of the *LORD spoke to the *prophet Gad.
He told Gad to tell David to build an *altar. Gad came to David. And he told
him to build the *altar at the place where Araunah prepared grain. That is, the
place where the punishment stopped. David obeyed and he built the *altar. But
before he did, he had to buy the place.

Araunah was preparing his wheat. The count started in the autumn
and it took almost 10 months. So, this was at the end of the wheat harvest.

The normal way to prepare grain was to spread it out on the
special floor of a flat yard. Then a driver sent two *oxen forward and back
over the grain. The *oxen pulled wooden boards on which the driver sat. The
boards had three large wooden tubes with sharp points all over them. These
tubes turned as the boards moved. Another person drew back the straw to separate
it from the grain. They took the straw away. Then they threw what remained up
in the air. The bits that were not grain blew away. This left only the grain on
the floor. So the grain was now clean. And it was ready for people to store it.

Araunah saw the *angel. His 4 sons hid from the *angel. But
Araunah did not hide. Then David arrived and Araunah stopped his work.

Verses 22-26 David asked to buy the property so that he could
build the *altar there. Araunah would have given it to his king. But David insisted
that he must pay the proper price. He would not give to the *LORD what was not
his own. A *sacrifice must cost the person who makes it. If there is no cost,
it is not a *sacrifice.

The *sacrifices would be of two animals and grain. Araunah
provided the *oxen that he used to prepare the grain. A grain *sacrifice always
went with animal *sacrifices. So, he gave his wheat for the grain *sacrifice.
And he told David to use his wooden boards to make the fire for the *sacrifice
by fire.

David bought the whole property. The price was 600 *shekels
weight of gold (about 12.5 pounds or 6 *kilograms in weight). He bought the
*oxen and the special floor. For these he paid 50 *shekels of silver (about 1
and a quarter pounds or 0.5 *kilograms in weight) (2 Samuel 24:24).

The property that Araunah owned was on *Mount Moriah. *Mount
Moriah is the place where Abraham went to *sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:2).
Solomon would later build the *temple there.

Then David built the *altar and he prepared the *sacrifices. Then
he prayed to the *LORD. The *LORD sent fire from heaven to burn the *sacrifice
on the *altar. This answer showed that God accepted the prayers and *sacrifices
of David.

Verses 27- 30 In answer to Davidís prayer, the *LORD told the
*angel to put his sword away. The *LORD had stopped the disease. Now the *angel
would not destroy Jerusalem. And David continued to make *sacrifices there to
the *LORD.

The holy tent at which the priests should make *sacrifices was
about 4 or 5 miles from Jerusalem. It was in Gibeon. But David had built an
*altar as the *LORD had told him. He did not go to Gibeon then. But he
continued to *worship God in this place. He knew that by the *sacrifices on
this *altar he had caused the *angel to stop his work.

David prepares for the *temple Ė 1 Chronicles 22:1-19

v1 David said, ĎWe will build the *temple of the
*LORD God here. Also, the *altar for *burnt *sacrifices for *Israel will be
here.í

v2 David ordered the foreigners that lived in
*Israel to gather. Then he chose some of them to cut blocks of stone for the
construction of Godís *temple. v3 David provided a large amount of
iron. This was to make nails and other bits for the doors of the gates. Also,
he provided more *bronze than people could weigh. v4 And he
supplied more *cedar wood than they could count. The people from the cities
called Sidon and Tyre had brought a lot of this *cedar wood to David.

v5 And David said, ĎMy son Solomon is young. He
does not yet have experience for the task. The *temple that he will build for
the *LORD must be great. It must be famous among the nations because of its
greatness and its beauty. Therefore, I will prepare all that I can for it.í So,
David got large amounts of the materials ready before he died.

v6 Then David called for his son Solomon. David
told Solomon that he (Solomon) must build a *temple for the *LORD, the God of
*Israel. v7 David said to Solomon, ĎMy son, I had wanted to build a
*temple for the name of the *LORD my God. v8 But the *LORD sent his
word to me. He said, ďYou have killed many people. You have fought many wars.
You must not build a *temple for my name. This is because you have spilt much
blood on the earth. (In other words, you are responsible for the deaths of many
people.) And I have seen what you have done. v9 But you will have a
son who will be a man of peace and rest. I will give to him peace from all his
enemies round him. His name will be Solomon. And I will give to *Israel peace
and quiet while he is king. v10 He will build a *temple for my
name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish the *throne
of his *kingdom over *Israel for all time.Ē

v11 Now, my son, I ask the *LORD to be with you.
Then you will be successful and you will build the *temple for the *LORD your
God. He has said that you will carry out this task. v12 The *LORD will
give you command over *Israel. I pray that he will also give to you wisdom and
the skill to understand. This will help you to obey the law of the *LORD your
God. v13 Be careful to obey the rules and laws that the *LORD gave
to Moses for *Israel. If you obey them, you will have success. Be strong and
brave. Do not be afraid but always have courage.

v14 I have worked hard to provide for the *temple
of the *LORD. I have supplied 100 000 *talents of gold and
1 000 000 *talents of silver. Here are vast quantities of *bronze and
iron; too much to weigh. And I have gathered a lot of wood and stone. You must
add some more. v15 You have many workers. You have men who work
with stone. You have men who build with bricks. You have men who work with
wood. And you have men who are skilled in every kind of work. v16 They
are skilled to work with gold, silver, *bronze, and iron. You have more skilled
workers than you can count. Now begin the work. And I pray that the *LORD will
be with you.í

v17 Then David ordered all the leaders of *Israel
to help his son Solomon. v18 David said to them, ĎThe *LORD your
God is with you. He has given to you peace from all our enemies. He has handed
over to me the people who live in this country. The *LORD and his people
control this country. v19 Now give your hearts and minds to obey the
*LORD your God. Begin to build the *temple of the *LORD God. Then bring the
*ark of the *LORDís special promise and Godís holy things to the *temple. You
will build the *temple for the name of the *LORD.í

Verse 1 God had dealt with David at the place where Araunah used
to prepare his grain. David had built an *altar at this place. He had burned
*sacrifices to the *LORD here. He knew that the *LORD wanted his *temple to be
here. This was where the *temple should be. The *altar would be here and here
the priests would *sacrifice to God. David was already using this place on
*Mount Moriah as if it was the *LORDís *temple. The actual *temple was not yet
here. But Solomon his son would build it (2 Chronicles 3:1).

Verses 2-4 David used the foreigners who lived in *Israel to
carry out the initial work for the *temple. Some of them had to cut stones and
to shape them ready for the builders. They stored these stones until Solomon
started to build the *temple. Some of them worked with metals. They made nails
and other things for the doors. And there were workers in wood who would
prepare the wood for the *temple.

David provided all the materials such as iron, *bronze and wood.
The wood came from Lebanon where the *cedar trees were very tall and straight.

Verse 5 We are not sure about the age of Solomon at this time.
The date of his birth was probably about 990 *BC. He became king in 970 or 971
*BC. So he was 20 years old when he became king. He had a son, Rehoboam, who
was then one year old. This chapter is about Davidís actions near the end of
his rule. So, it seems that Solomon was a youth under 20 years of age.

The *temple had to be great, and it was. It had to be famous
among the nations, and it was. But Solomon was young. So, David prepared all
that he could. The *LORD would not allow him to build the *temple. But he got
as much ready as he could.

Verses 6-10 King David was preparing his son to be the next king.
David had desired to build the *temple for the *LORD. But the *LORD would not
let him do it. This was the most important task for his son to do. So David
explained to Solomon what God had said to him.

This *temple must be for the name of the *LORD. This means more
than for the *LORDís honour. It means for the person of the *LORD. It must be a
place where the people could go to meet with God. It will be the most important
place of *worship for *Israel.

The *LORD refused to let David build the *temple. The reason was
that David was a man of wars. The problem was not just that he fought wars. But
David had killed people other than in war such as Uriah (2 Samuel 11:15). He
was guilty of cruelty as he was with the soldiers from Moab (2 Samuel 8:2).

Before he was born, God chose Solomon to be king after David. The
*LORD loved Solomon from birth. God promised that Solomon would rule in peace.
As far as we know, Solomon fought only one battle. That battle was after he had
built the *temple (2 Chronicles 8:3).

In this passage, David repeats the words that Nathan spoke to him
from the *LORD (17:12-14). The *LORD promised to be as a father to Solomon but
Solomon had to be loyal to the *LORD. Later in life, Solomon was not loyal to
the *LORD.

The Ď*throneí of Solomonís *kingdom means the kings from the
family of David. God would establish their Ď*throneí for all time. This means
that one of Davidís *descendants will be king for all time. That *descendant is
the *Lord Jesus. (Both Mary and Joseph were *descendants of David.) The *Lord
Jesus is sometimes called King Davidís greater son, because he is Davidís most
important *descendant. And, although he is Davidís *descendant, he is more
important (greater) than David. There will be no end to the rule of the *Lord
Jesus. His *throne will always remain. His *kingdom will never end (Luke
1:32-33).

Verses 11-13 In these verses, David repeats to Solomon much of
what God had said. God had said that Solomon would build the *temple. God had
said that he would make Solomon the king of *Israel. So, David encourages his
son to do as God had said. David is telling Solomon: ĎBuild the *temple and
obey God.í

David prays that Solomon will be wise. And David prays that
Solomon will obey the law of the *LORD. Solomon will be successful only if he
does obey the rules and laws of the *LORD. He will need wisdom from the *LORD
to be able to govern the people. And he will need to be brave and to have
courage so that he can rule *Israel.

Verses 14-16 We do not know the value of these metals at
that time. But it must have been a very large sum.

David had provided a vast quantity of all that the builders would
need for the work. But Solomon must add some more. Perhaps David thought that
more was necessary. But perhaps David was encouraging Solomon to make the task
his own. Solomon would involve himself more in the task if he gave toward it.

David had organised the labour with men skilled in all the
trades. This large number of workers was ready to start the work. Therefore, he
told Solomon, ĎGet on with it. Build the *temple of the *LORD. It is what the
*LORD wants. And he will be with you.í Solomon could not begin yet. But as soon
as he became king, this was his first and most important task.

Verses 17-19 Finally, David praises God for all that he has
achieved. The *LORD has given peace to his people in *Israel. The *LORD has
defeated all their enemies. The *LORD is with his people. The *LORD has given
to them the country called *Israel.

Now the people must give themselves to the *LORD. They must work
with Solomon to build the *LORDís *temple. That *temple will be the place where
the *Israelites will *worship the *LORD their God.

The *ark of God was in the tent that David had prepared for it,
in Jerusalem. But the *Israelites must bring the *ark into the *temple. David
had already built his *altar in the place where the *Israelites would build the
*temple. Many of the holy things were in the tent at Gibeon. They must bring
these things into the *temple.

Organisation of the *Levites Ė 1 Chronicles 23:1-26:32

The *Levites Ė 1 Chronicles 23:1-32

v1 When David was very old, he made his son
Solomon king over *Israel.

v2 He gathered all the leaders of *Israel, as well
as the priests and *Levites. v3 He counted the *Levites who were 30
years of age and older. The total number of these men was 38 000. v4 David
said, ĎFrom these 38 000 men, 24 000 *Levites will direct the work of the
*LORDís *temple. And 6000 *Levites will be officers and judges. v5 4000
*Levites will be guards for the gates. And 4000 *Levites will praise the *LORD
with music. They will use the musical instruments that I made for that
purpose.í

v6 David divided the *Levites into three groups by
their *clans. These *clans are the families of Leviís three sons: Gershon,
Kohath, and Merari.

v7 From the *clan of Gershon, there were Ladan and
Shimei. v8 Ladan had three sons. His first son was Jehiel, and his
other sons were Zetham and Joel. v9 Shimeiís sons were Shelomoth,
Haziel, and Haran. These three sons were leaders of Ladanís families. v10 Shimei
had 4 sons: Jahath, Ziza, Jeush, and Beriah. v11 Jahath was the
first son, and Ziza was the second son. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many
sons. So, in the count they were one family.

v12 Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron,
and Uzziel. v13 Amramís sons were Aaron and Moses. The *LORD
separated Aaron and his *descendants for all time. He chose them to prepare the
most holy things for the *LORDís service. They had to offer *sacrifices to the
*LORD, and to serve him as priests. As priests, they bless the people in the
name of (on behalf of) the *LORD for all time. v14 However, when
people counted the *tribe of Levi, they included the sons (*descendants) of
Moses, the man of God. v15 Mosesí sons were Gershon and Eliezer. v16 Gershonís
first son was Shubael. v17 Eliezerís first son was Rehabiah.
Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had very many sons. v18 Izharís
first son was Shelomith. v19 Hebronís first son was Jeriah and his
second son was Amariah. His third son was Jahaziel, and his 4th son was
Jekameam. v20 Uzzielís first son was Micah and his second son was
Isshiah.

v21 Merariís sons were Mahli and Mushi. Mahliís
sons were Eleazar and Kish. v22 Eleazar died without sons. He had
only daughters. His daughters married their cousins, the sons of Kish. v23 Mushiís
three sons were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.

v24 These were Leviís *descendants by their
families. They were the leaders of families. The record of the count was by
family. It included each person 20 years of age or older who had to serve in
the *LORDís *temple. v25 David had said, ĎThe *LORD, the God of
*Israel, has given peace to his people. He has come to live in Jerusalem for
all time. v26 So now, the *Levites do not need to carry the holy
Tent. And they do not need to carry any of the things that they used in it.í v27 Davidís
last instructions were to count the *Levites who were 20 years old and older.

v28 The *Levitesí job was to help Aaronís
*descendants in the work of the *LORDís *temple. They were responsible for the
*temple areas and the side rooms. They made all the holy things clean and ready
for use. And they did other work in Godís *temple. v29 They were
responsible for the bread that the priests would put on the table. They kept
the flour for the grain *sacrifices and the special flat bread. They mixed and
baked the bread for the *sacrifices. They carried out all the measurements of
quantities and sizes. v30 They stood every morning and they thanked
the *LORD. And they praised him. They did the same in the evening. v31 They
also did this when the priests gave *burnt *sacrifices to the *LORD. This was
on *Sabbaths, and at the new moon (the beginning of each month). Also, they did
this on the special days. There must always be the proper
number of *Levites on duty to carry out their work for the *LORD.

v32 So, the *Levites took care of the holy tent and the
holy place. And they helped their relatives, Aaronís *descendants, with the
work of the *LORDís *temple.

Verse 1 David was about 70 years of age, which in those days was
old. This was now near the end of his life. It was probably during the 40th and
last year of his rule (26:31; 29:27). He appointed Solomon to be the next king
of *Israel.

Verses 2-5 To manage (run) the *temple, there would need to be
2000 *Levites on duty each month. They would not all work at the same time.
Each of them would work for a part of the day or night. There were a total of
38 000 *Levite men who were 30 years of age and over. 24 000 of them
would do this work. The women would not work in the *temple.

6000 *Levites would be judges and officials. They would work in
every part of the country. They would be experts in the law of the *LORD and in
the laws of the country.

Verses 6-11 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
All the *Levites were *descendants of these three sons. David divided the
*Levites into the *clans and families that came from these three men.

These lists do not give us the complete history of the *clans. In
verse 8, these were not the actual sons of Ladan. They were among his
*descendants. Shimei in verse 9 is a man who belonged to the *clans of Ladan.
He is not the same as Shimei in verses 7 and 10.

The 4 sons of Shimei were not his actual sons. They were his
*descendants and they may have lived in the time of David.

Because they had few children, David combined the families of
Jeush and Beriah. So there were 9 groups out of the *clan of Gershon. 6 of
these groups were from Ladan (three of which were from Shimei in verse 9). The
other three groups were from the other man called Shimei in verse 10.

Verses 12-20 The ranks of the *Levites did not include the *descendants
of Aaron. They were a special family. They were the priests. And the chief
priests always came from this family. They had to make the *sacrifices to the
*LORD. They were the agents of the people in relation to the *LORD. And they
were the agents of the *LORD to the people. But the count of the *Levites did
include the *descendants of Moses.

From the *clans of Kohath there were another 9 groups of
*Levites.

Verses 21-23 The *clans of Merari made a further 6 groups. This
is not clear from these verses. But the chiefs of the groups of Mahli came from
Jaaziah (24:26-27), and Kish. The daughters of Eleazar married their cousins.
By this means their families continued. The third group came either from
another son of Jaaziah or from the daughters of Eleazar. The chiefs of the
groups of Mushi came from his three sons.

There were 9 groups from Gershon, 9 groups from Kohath and 6
groups from Merari. This made a total of 24 groups.

Verses 24-27 The count was actually of those men who were 20
years old and older. Men were old enough to work in the *temple when they were
30 years old (verse 3). The *LORD said this to Moses when he counted the
*Levites (Numbers 4:3).

Moses lowered the age for the work of the *LORDís tent to 25. But
the *Levites did not work after the age of 50 (Numbers 8:24-25). Originally,
David decided that the *Levites would start to work in the *temple at 30 years
old. The work in the *temple would not be as heavy as the work for the tent.
The *Levites had to carry the tent and all that was in it, including the *altar
and the *ark. Both of these would now remain in the *temple at Jerusalem. But
for some reason, David now lowered the age for the count to 20.

Verses 28-32 The task of the *Levites was to help the priests.
They had to take care of the *temple and of all that was in it. They had to
make sure that all things were clean and ready for use.

The *Levites had to bake 12 loaves of bread for each *Sabbath
day. The priests placed these loaves in two rows of 6 on the special table in
the holy place. The loaves remained there until the next *Sabbath day. Then the
priests would eat these loaves in the holy place (Leviticus 24:5-9).

Each morning and each evening, the *Levites praised the *LORD
with music and prayers. They did this at the time of the regular *sacrifices
(Exodus 29:38-39). Also, they did this at the time of *sacrifices on the
special days.

The priests made extra *sacrifices at other times. These were on
the *Sabbath days, at the start of the month and other special days (Numbers
28:9 to Numbers 29:39). At each of these events, the *Levites praised the *LORD
when the priests made the *sacrifices.

The special days were annual events. Some of them lasted for just
one day. But other ones lasted for several days. The main special days each
year were:

(1) The day called Passover,
and the week afterwards when people ate flat bread. Each year the *Jews
remember how God brought them out of Egypt. Passover is the special time when
they remember this. (Passover is usually at the same time as Easter.)

(2) The day called Pentecost,
which is a special day 50 days after Passover.

(3) The day to sound the *trumpets.

(4) The day when the people remember that God forgives *sin.

(5) The week when the people lived in tents.

Arrangement of the priests Ė 1 Chronicles 24:1-19

v1 These were the groups of Aaronís *descendants.
Aaronís sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

v2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father
did. And they had no sons. So, Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests. v3 Zadok
was a *descendant of Eleazar. And Ahimelech was a *descendant of Ithamar. They
helped David to divide their *clans into groups. Each group had certain duties.
v4 There were more leaders from Eleazarís family than there were
from Ithamarís. There were 16 leaders from Eleazarís family. And there were 8
leaders from Ithamarís family.

v5 They chose men for the groups from both
families in a way that was fair. They made the decision by means of *lots.
There were men from each family who were officers of the holy place. And there
were men from each family who were officers of God.

v6 Shemaiah son of Nethanel, from the *tribe of
Levi, kept the records. He wrote down the names of those *descendants in front
of King David and his officials. With them were Zadok the priest and Ahimelech
son of Abiathar. Also, the leaders of the families of the priests and *Levites
were there. They chose one family for Eleazar, and one for Ithamar.

v7 The first one whom they chose was Jehoiarib.
The second one was Jedaiah. v8 The third one was Harim. The 4th one
was Seorim. v9 The 5th one was Malkijah. The 6th one was Mijamin. v10 The
7th one was Hakkoz. The 8th one was Abijah. v11 The 9th one was
Jeshua. The 10th one was Shecaniah. v12 The 11th one was Eliashib.
The 12th one was Jakim. v13 The 13th one was Huppah. The 14th one
was Jeshebeab. v14 The 15th one was Bilgah. The 16th one was Immer.
v15 The 17th one was Hezir. The 18th one was Happizzez. v16 The
19th one was Pethahiah. The 20th one was Jehezkel. v17 The 21st one was
Jakin. The 22nd one was Gamul. v18 The 23rd one was Delaiah. The
24th one was Maaziah.

v19 This was the order in which their groups served in
the *LORDís *temple. There they obeyed the rules that Aaron, their *ancestor,
gave to them. The *LORD, the God of *Israel, had given these rules to him.

Verses 1-3 The *descendants of Aaron were the priests. Aaron had
4 sons. They were called Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Nadab and Abihu
died before Aaron. They took unholy fire into the *LORDís tent. This was
against the *LORDís rules. At once, the *LORD punished them, and so they died
there (Numbers 3:4). Because they had no children, the future priests had to
come from the families of Eleazar and Ithamar.

Eleazar became the chief priest when his father died. Afterwards,
the chief priest came from his *descendants until Eli who was a *descendant of
Ithamar.

In the time of David, Zadok was from the *clans of Eleazar; and
Ahimelech was from Ithamar. These two men helped David to divide their *clans
into groups for service as priests in the *temple.

Verses 4-5 David divided the priests into 24 groups. 16 of these
groups were of men from the *descendants of Eleazar. And 8 of these groups were
from the *descendants of Ithamar. The groups would work in turn so that there
would always be priests on duty in the *temple.

Eleazar had been the chief priest; Ithamar had not. And there
were more of Eleazarís *descendants than there were of Ithamarís *descendants.
But to David all the groups were equal. The groups received their order of
duties in a way that was fair to them all.

Some men from each family were officers of the holy place. And
some men were officers of God. These were leaders of some sort. However, we do
not know what the titles mean.

Verses 6 To choose the groups, they took in turn a family from
Eleazar and a family from Ithamar. Shemaiah wrote down the results. The king
and his officials made sure that it was fair. Zadok and Ahimelech, the two
chief priests, were among those who were present.

Verses 7-18 This is the list of the 24 groups in the order of the
choice. These names are those of the leaders of the families.

These groups continued to serve in the *temple until the *exile.
Some of these groups did continue to serve after the return from *exile. In the
Book of Luke, Zechariah was in the group of Abijah (the 8th group). Zechariah
was the father of John, who prepared for Jesusí work. John is well-known as
ĎJohn the Baptistí (Luke 1:5).

Verse 19 They followed the order and plans that Aaron had given
to them.

The rest of the *Levites Ė 1 Chronicles 24:20-31

v20 These are the rest of Leviís *descendants.
Shubael was a *descendant of Amram, and Jehdeiah was a *descendant of Shubael.

v21 Isshiah was the first son of Rehabiah.

v22 From the Izhar *clan, there was Shelomoth. And
Jahath was a *descendant of Shelomoth.

v23 Hebronís first son was Jeriah, and Amariah was
his second son. Jahaziel was his third son, and Jekameam was his 4th son.

v24 Uzzielís son was Micah. Micahís son was Shamir.

v25 Micahís brother was Isshiah, and Isshiahís son
was Zechariah.

v26 Merariís sons were Mahli and Mushi. Jaaziahís
son was Beno.

v27 Jaaziah son of Merari had sons called Beno,
Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.

v28 Mahliís son was Eleazar, but Eleazar did not
have any sons.

v29 Kishís son was Jerahmeel

v30 Mushiís sons were Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth.

These are the *Levites, by their families. v31 They
used the same fair method to choose them for their special tasks as they used
for the priests. That is, they made the decision by means of *lots. They did
this in front of King David, Zadok, and Ahimelech. Also, there were the leaders
of the families of the priests, and of the *Levites. They dealt with the families
of the oldest brother in the same way as the youngest.

Verses 20-31 The rest of the *descendants of Levi were all those
who were not from Aaron. This list shows the leaders of the families in the
time of David. They are from the *clans that came from Kohath and Merari. But
this list does not include the *clans that came from Gershon.

The *Levites formed 24 groups to do special tasks. The way that
they chose the order of the groups was the same as for the priests. All the
families were equal for this purpose.

†The *temple musicians Ė 1 Chronicles
25:1-31

v1 David and the army officers appointed some of
the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to lead *worship. They would *prophecy
with *harps, *lyres, and *cymbals. These men performed this service:

v2 From the sons of Asaph, there were Zaccur,
Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. Asaph was their leader. He *prophesied, as the
king directed him.

v3 Jeduthunís sons who served were Gedaliah, Zeri,
Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah. There were 6 of them, and Jeduthun
led them. He *prophesied and he used a *harp to give thanks and to praise the
*LORD.

v4 Heman had 14 sons. They were: Bukkiah, Mattaniah,
Uzziel, Shubael, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer,
Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. v5 All these were
sons of Heman, the kingís *prophet. God promised to make Heman strong, so Heman
had many sons. God gave him 14 sons and three daughters.

v6 Their father led all these men in the music for
the *LORDís *temple. They played with *cymbals, *lyres, and *harps. The king
directed Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman. v7 These men and their
relatives had trained in music. And they had the skill to make music for the
*LORD. There were 288 of them. v8 So they all made their choice for
their duties by means of *lots. Young and old men alike did this. Teachers and
students alike did this.

v9 The first choice was for 12 men from the family of
Joseph. (Joseph belonged to Asaphís family).

The second choice was for 12 men from the family of Gedaliah,
his brothers and sons.

v10 The third choice was for 12 men from the
family of Zaccur, his sons and relatives.

v11 The 4th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Izri, his sons and relatives.

v12 The 5th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Nethaniah, his sons and relatives.

v13 The 6th choice was for 12 men from the family of
Bukkiah, his sons and relatives.

v14 The 7th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Jesarelah, his sons and relatives.

v15 The 8th choice was for 12 men from the family of
Jeshaiah, his sons and relatives.

v16 The 9th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Mattaniah, his sons and relatives.

v17 The 10th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Shimei, his sons and relatives.

v18 The 11th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Azarel, his sons and relatives.

v19 The 12th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Hashabiah, his sons and relatives.

v20 The 13th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Shubael, his sons and relatives.

v21 The 14th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Mattithiah, his sons and relatives.

v22 The 15th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Jerimoth, his sons and relatives.

v23 The 16th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Hananiah, his sons and relatives.

v24 The 17th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Joshbekashah, his sons and relatives.

v25 The 18th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Hanani, his sons and relatives.

v26 The 19th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Mallothi, his sons and relatives.

v27 The 20th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Eliathah, his sons and relatives.

v28 The 21st choice was for 12 men from the family
of Hothir, his sons and relatives.

v29 The 22nd choice was for 12 men from the family of
Giddalti, his sons and relatives.

v30 The 23rd choice was for 12 men from the family
of Mahazioth, his sons and relatives.

v31 The 24th choice was for 12 men from the family
of Romamti-Ezer, his sons and relatives.

Verse 1 David organised the 288 musicians into 24 groups. These
would work with the groups of priests and other *Levites. The leaders of these
groups came from the families of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun. About 30 years
before, David had appointed these three men to be leaders of the music. That
was when they brought the *LORDís *ark to Jerusalem (16:4-7; 16:37; 16:41-42).

These three men would *prophesy with *harps, *lyres, and
*cymbals. There are two possible meanings of the word Ď*prophesyí in this
passage. They could have spoken words that God gave to them at that time. Or they
could praise him with Psalms (songs of *worship) that they (or somebody else)
had written.

Verses 2-5 The leaders of the groups were the sons of Asaph,
Jeduthun and Heman. Asaph had 4 sons and Jeduthun had 6 sons. Heman had 14
sons. These sons made the 24 leaders for the groups.

Verses 6-8 The Ďfatherí means Heman, who led his sons in music.
But of course, Asaph and Jeduthun led their sons as well.

4000 *Levites praised the *LORD with instruments (23:5). It seems
that these 288 skilled musicians led them. 12 skilled musicians were in each
group and they led their sons and relatives.

The groups chose their order of duties. They used the same fair
method that the priests and *Levites had used.

Verses 9-31 This is a list of the groups in the order of their
duties.

The *temple guards Ė 1 Chronicles 26:1-19

v1 These are the groups of the *temple guards:

From the *clan of Korah, there was Meshelemiah son of Kore. He
was from Asaphís family.

v2 Meshelemiah had sons. Zechariah was his first son
and Jediael was his second son. Zebadiah was his third son and Jathniel was his
4th son. v3 Elam was his 5th son and Jehohanan was his 6th son.
Eliehoenai was his 7th son.

v4 Obed-Edom had sons. Shemaiah was his first son
and Jehozabad was his second son. Joah was his third son and Sacar was his 4th
son. Nethanel was his 5th son. v5 Ammiel was his 6th son and
Issachar was his 7th son. Peullethai was his 8th son. God had been kind to
Obed-Edom.

v6 Obed-Edomís son Shemaiah also had sons. They
were leaders in their *clan because they were capable men. v7 Shemaiahís
sons were Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad. His relatives Elihu and Semakiah
were strong men. v8 All these men were Obed-Edomís *descendants.
They and their sons and relatives were capable men and strong workers.
Obed-Edom had a total of 62 *descendants.

v9 Meshelemiah had sons and relatives who were
skilled workers. In total, there were 18 of them.

v10 From the Merari family, Hosah had sons. Shimri
was the chief one of these. He was not the oldest son, but his father chose him
to be the leader. v11 Hilkiah was his second son and Tabaliah was
third son. Zechariah was his 4th son. In total, Hosah had 13 sons and
relatives.

v12 These were the chief men of the groups of
*temple guards. The groups had tasks to serve in the *LORDís *temple, even as
their relatives had. v13 The choice of guards for each gate was by
a fair method. They made the decision by means of *lots. The large families had
no advantage over the small ones.

v14 The choice for the east gate was Shelemiah. Then
the choice for the north gate was his son Zechariah. Zechariah was a wise man
who gave good advice. v15 The choice for the south gate was
Obed-Edom. His sons became guards of the building where they kept the stores. v16 Shuppim
and Hosah became the guards for the west gate. Also, they were the guards for
the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road. Guards took their tasks in turn with
other guards.

v17 There were 6 *Levites each day on the east.
Each day there were 4 of them on the north and 4 of them on the south. Two
pairs of guards worked at the stores building. v18 At the Parbar to
the west, there were 4 guards on the road and two at the Parbar. v19 These
were the groups of the guards from the families of Korah and Merari.

Verses 1-9 The *Israelites had not built the *temple yet. But the
king made these arrangements so that the *Levites would be ready. There were
4000 *temple guards (23:6). They were all from the *clans of Kohath and Merari.
(Korah was from the *clan of Kohath.)

There were 24 groups of these *temple guards. They chose the
order of their duties by the same fair method that the priests and *Levites had
used.

The job of the *temple guards was to be responsible for the gates
and doors of the *temple. They would open the gates and doors at the right
times. And they would close them at the proper times. They would control the
entrances to keep out anyone who should not come in. They would control
everyone who went into or out of the *temple. And if necessary, they would
control the crowds.

The work of the *temple guards was an important part of the
*LORDís work. It was not less important than the work of the other *Levites.
They were all part of the *worship of the *temple. They were all doing the work
of the *LORD. They were all doing what God wanted them to do. So in his
opinion, their rank was equal.

Asaph in verse 1 is not the same as the musician. The musician
belonged to the *clan of Gershon. This Asaph belonged to the *clan of Korah.
This Asaph is usually called Abiasaph; he was a son of Korah (1 Chronicles
9:19; Exodus 6:24). Kore and Meshelemiah were among his *descendants.

Obed-Edom was another *descendant of Korah. He kept the *LORDís
*ark in his home after the death of Uzzah (13:13-14). He was a musician and he
played in front of the *LORDís *ark in Jerusalem (15:21). Also, he was a guard
for the *LORDís *ark (15:24). Here he is the head of his family as a *temple
guard.

The family of Obed-Edom were strong men, as they may need to be
as *temple guards. They had to guard the *temple day and night. And the gates
of the *temple were large and heavy. It took several strong men to open and to
close these gates.

Verses 10-11 Hosah had been a guard at the *LORDís *ark with
Obed-Edom (16:38). He had 13 sons among whom Shimri was the chief son. But
Shimri was not the oldest son. Perhaps the first son by birth was not a capable
person for some reason. However, the father chose Shimri to be the first son.

Verses 12-19 Each group had its leaders. But a few chief men were
over them all. These men made sure that the groups did their tasks well.

In each group, they chose the tasks. They did this by the same
fair method that they had used for the order of their groups. So, the larger
families did not have an advantage over the smaller ones.

Here we have some of those chief men. These men were responsible
for the main gates and the stores building.

Shelemiah is the same as Meshelemiah (verse 1). He had control of
the east gate. His son Zechariah had control of the north gate. Obed-Edom had
control of the south gate. Shuppim and Hosah had control of the west gate.

Also, Shuppim and Hosah had control of the Shalleketh Gate. This
was another gate to the west. It was probably the gate through which they took
the rubbish from the *temple.

The east gate was the main gate. So, there were 6 guards at this
gate but only 4 at the other gates. There were 2 guards at the stores building.

We are not sure what Parbar means. There are two possible
meanings. The first is suburb. So, Parbar would be a gate to the west that
leads to the suburbs of Jerusalem. There would be two guards at the gate and 4
guards on the road. The other meaning is that it is the name of a place outside
the *temple building. There would be two guards at that place and 4 guards on
the road to that place.

Other officials of the *temple Ė 1 Chronicles 26:20-32

v20 And from the *Levites, Ahijah was the guard for the
valuable things that belonged to Godís *temple. Also, he took care of the
valuable things that people gave to God.

v21 Ladan was Gershonís *descendant and he was the
*ancestor of several *clans. Jehieli was a leader of one of the *clans. v22
These *clans were the sons of Jehieli, Zetham and Joel his brother. They were
responsible for the valuable things that belonged to the *LORDís *temple.

v23 Other leaders came from the *clans of Amram,
Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. v24 Shubael was a *descendant of
Gershom, who was Mosesí son. He was the chief officer who controlled the store
of valuable things. v25 He had relatives from the family of
Eliezer. Eliezerís son was Rehabiah. Rehabiahís son was Jeshaiah. Jeshaiahís
son was Joram. Joramís son was Zicri, and Zicriís son was Shelomith. v26 Shelomith
and his relatives had control of all the holy gifts. These gifts came from King
David, and the leaders of the families. Also, the army officers gave gifts.
Some of these men were over groups of 1000 soldiers. Some of them were over
groups of 100 soldiers. And other officers gave gifts too. v27 They
took many valuable things when they won battles. They gave some of these things
in order to pay for repairs to the *LORDís *temple. v28 Samuel the
*prophet had given some valuable things to the *LORD. So had Saul son of Kish,
Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah. Shelomith and his relatives took
care of all the holy gifts.

v29 Kenaniah was from the Izhar *clan. He and his
sons worked away from the *temple. They were officials and judges in *Israel.

v30 Hashabiah was from the Hebron *clan. He and
1700 skilled relatives worked for *Israel on the west side of the Jordan river.
They were responsible for all the *LORDís work there, and for the service of
the king. v31 Jeriah was the leader of the *descendants of Hebron.
In the 40th year of Davidís rule, they searched the records of Hebronís
*descendants. They found that there were capable men from the Hebron *clans at
Jazer in Gilead. v32 Jeriah had 2700 relatives who were skilled men
and leaders of families. King David chose them to direct Godís work and the
kingís affairs on the east side of the river Jordan. They had to direct the
*tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh in these matters.

Verses 20-28 Some of the *temple guards took care of the gifts,
money and valuable things that belonged to the *temple (verses 20-22). Other
*temple guards took care of the stores of wealth that belonged to the *temple
(verses 23-28). Ahijah was the official who was over all of these guards.

The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and Joel had control of the gifts and
valuable things. These things were the gifts to the *LORD; and the precious
objects that the priests used. These stores were for use in the daily service
of the *temple.

Shubael was over the team who took care of all the wealth in the
*temple stores. His team included Shelomith. Shelomith was responsible for all
the gifts from David and the army officers. Many of these gifts were objects
that the king and family leaders had given. Some of this wealth came from the
goods that the army had taken from their enemies. Samuel, King Saul and former
army officers had given wealth that was now in these stores. This wealth was
for major repairs and for future use.

Verses 29-32 There were 6000 *Levites who worked as officials and
judges (23:4). They did not work in the *temple. They went out to all parts of
the nation called *Israel. Their job was to teach Godís law to the people. And
they would be the judges in the law courts. Also, they would collect the taxes
and other money that was due to the king and to the *temple.

Most of these *Levites came from the *clans of Kohath and Hebron.
Kenaniah and his sons came from the *clan of Izhar, which was one of the *clans
from Kohath. Hashabiah and the men at Jazer were from the Hebron *clan.

Hashabiah and his relatives worked to the west of the river
Jordan. At Jazer in Gilead, there were men from Hebronís *clan. Gilead was to
the east of the river Jordan. So, Jeriah and his men worked to the east of the
river Jordan. That was where the *tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half the *tribe of
Manasseh lived.

Hashabiah had 1700 men and Jeriah had 2700 men. Therefore, as
there were 6000 men, 1600 men worked with Kenaniah.

David organised all of this during the 40th year of his rule.
That was his last year before he died.

Organisation of other leaders Ė 1 Chronicles 27:1-34

Army groups Ė 1 Chronicles 27:1-15

v1 Each month a group of 24 000 men served
the king in the army. Among these men were family leaders, officers over groups
of 1000 or 100 men, and officials of the king. Each group served for one month
each year.

v2 Jashobeam, son of Zabdiel, was the leader of
the first group, which served during the first month. There were 24 000
men in his group. v3 He was a *descendant of Perez. And he was the
leader of all the army officers during the first month.

v4 Dodai was from the town called Ahoah. He was
the leader of the group for the second month. Mikloth was the chief officer in
this group. There were 24 000 men in the group.

v5 The third leader, for the third month, was
Benaiah, son of Jehoiada the priest. He was the chief officer and there were
24 000 men in his group. v6 This Benaiah was a brave man. He
was one of the 30 special soldiers whom he led. His son Ammizabad was in
command of his group.

v7 The 4th leader, for the 4th month, was Asahel,
the brother of Joab. Later, his son Zebadiah took his place as the leader.
There were 24 000 men in his group.

v8 The 5th leader, for the 5th month, was
Shamhuth, from Izrahís family. There were 24 000 men in his group.

v9 The 6th leader, for the 6th month, was Ira, son
of Ikkesh, from the town called Tekoa. There were 24 000 men in his group.

v10 The 7th leader, for the 7th month, was Helez.
He came from the town called Pelon. He was a *descendant of Ephraim. There were
24 000 men in his group.

v11 The 8th leader, for the 8th month, was
Sibbecai. He was from Hushah and he was from Zerahís family. There were
24 000 men in his group.

v12 The 9th leader, for the 9th month, was
Abiezer. He was from Anathoth in Benjamin. There were 24 000 men in his
group.

v13 The 10th leader, for the 10th month, was
Maharai. He was from Netophah and he was from Zerahís family. There were
24 000 men in his group.

v14 The 11th leader, for the 11th month, was
Benaiah. He was from Pirathon in Ephraim. There were 24 000 men in his
group.

v15 The 12th leader, for the 12th month, was
Heldai. He was from Netophah and he was from Othnielís family. There were
24 000 men in his group.

Verse 1 A different group of soldiers served the king each month.
There were 24 000 men in each group. To lead the group, there were
officers over 1000 men. Then there were officers over 100 men. Also, family
leaders and the kingís officials had some control over the army.

The king always had 24 000 men ready for war. There was
always a group ready to guard the king. If an enemy attacked, the king could
call all 12 groups of soldiers to fight. This would be an army of 288 000
men.

The men served in the army for one month in the year. During the
rest of the year, they lived and worked as normal citizens.

Verses 2-15 Jashobeam had been the leader over Davidís 30 special
soldiers (11:11). Also, he was one of the three most famous soldiers. He killed
300 men at one time with his *spear. He was the top leader during the first
month, that is, the month called Nisan. He was from the *tribe of Judah. Perez
was a son of Judah.

Jashobeam was the chief leader for the first month, the month
called Nisan. The month called Nisan is during March or April in a modern
calendar.

Here is a list of the names of the *Jewish months. The first
month was called Nisan and the second month was called Iyar. The third month
was called Sivan and the 4th was called Tammuz. The 5th month was called Ab and
the 6th was called Elul. The 7th month was called Tishri and the 8th was called
Marcheshvan. The 9th month was called Chisleu and the 10th was called Tebeth.
The 11th month was called Shebat and the 12th was called Adar. Many of these
months do have different names as well. For example, Nisan is often Abib and
Iyar is Zif.

Dodai (verse 4) was the father of Eleazar. Eleazar was the second
of the famous three soldiers (11:12). Dodai had Mikloth as his chief officer.
Dodai was the leader during the second month.

Benaiah (verse 5) was the leader of King Davidís personal guards.
He was as well-known as the famous three soldiers. But he was not one of them.
He did many great deeds (11:22-30). He had his son Ammizabad as his chief
officer. Benaiah was the leader during the third month.

It seems that such groups already existed well before the end of
Davidís rule. In the original group, Asahel (verse 7) may have been a leader.
He was one of the 30 special soldiers. But Abner killed Asahel in the battle
between David and Ish-Bosheth (2 Samuel 2:18-23). So, Asahel died before David
formed these groups. However, the 4th group still had Asahelís name as the
leader. Maybe this was to give honour to his name. His son Zebadiah was in fact
the leader of this group.

The leaders for each of the other months were among the 30 special
soldiers (11:26-47).

Leaders of the *tribes Ė 1 Chronicles 27:16-24

v16 These were the leaders of the *tribes of
*Israel. Eliezer son of Zicri was over the *tribe of Reuben. Shephatiah son of
Maacah was over the *tribe of Simeon. v17 Hashabiah son of Kemuel
was over the *tribe of Levi. Zadok was over the family of Aaron. v18 Elihu,
one of Davidís brothers, was over the *tribe of Judah. Omri son of Michael was
over the *tribe of Issachar. v19 Ishmaiah son of Obadiah was over
the *tribe of Zebulun. Jerimoth son of Azriel was over the *tribe of Naphtali. v20 Hoshea
son of Azaziah was over the *tribe of Ephraim. Joel son of Pedaiah was over
half the *tribe of Manasseh. v21 Iddo son of Zechariah was over
half the *tribe of Manasseh in Gilead. Jaasiel son of Abner was over the *tribe
of Benjamin. v22 Azarel son of Jeroham was over the *tribe of Dan. These
were the leaders of the *tribes of *Israel.

v23 The *LORD had promised to make the *Israelites
as many as the stars in the sky. So, David did not count those who were 20
years old or younger.

v24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the people,
but he did not finish the task. God was angry at *Israel because of this count.
So, the official records of King Davidís rule did not include the number of the
people.

Verses 16-22 This is a list of the leaders of the *tribes at the
time when David counted the people.

We do not know why the list did not include the *tribes of Gad
and Asher. There is a leader over the *tribe of Levi. But the *Levite *clan of
Aaron had Zadok the chief priest as their leader. Because half of the *tribe of
Manasseh lived east of the river Jordan, they had two leaders. Joel was the
leader for the half *tribe on the west of the river. And Iddo was the leader
for the half *tribe on the east of the river.

Verses 23-24 The *LORD promised that he would make the
*Israelites as many as the stars. ĎAs many as the starsí was a phrase that
meant too many to count. The *LORD gave this promise to Abraham about 1000
years before the time of David (Genesis 15:5). Because of that promise, David
did not count those who were 20 years of age or less.

However, David did order a count of the men who were old enough to
fight in the army.

Joab did not finish the count. He was against the idea. He knew
that it was wrong to do it (21:6). So, he did not count the *tribes of Levi and
Benjamin.

Because of the count and the *sins of the nation, God was angry.
And he punished the people (21:7).

Samuel, Nathan and Gad made records of the events during Davidís
life (29:29-30). But they did not record the number of the people.

Other officials Ė 1 Chronicles 27:25-34

v25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was responsible for the
place where the king kept his valuable things. Jonathan son of Uzziah was
responsible for the other places where there were stores. These were in the
country, in towns, in villages, and in castles. v26 Ezri son of
Kelub was responsible for the field workers who farmed the land. v27 Shimei,
from Ramah town, was responsible for the *vineyards. Zabdi, from Shepham, was
responsible for the products from the *vineyards. And he was responsible for the
places where people stored the wine. v28 Baal-Hanan, from Geder,
was responsible for the *olive trees and sycamore trees in the western hills.
Joash was responsible for the places where people stored *olive oil. v29 Shitrai,
from Sharon, was responsible for the cows that were in Sharon. And Shaphat son
of Adlai was responsible for the cows in the valleys. v30 Obil, a
*descendant of Ishmael, was responsible for the camels. Jehdeiah, from
Meronoth, was responsible for the *donkeys. v31 Jaziz, from the *Hagrites,
was responsible for the sheep and goats. All these men were the officials who
took care of King Davidís property.

v32 Jonathan, Davidís uncle, was a wise man and a
teacher of the law. He was one of the men who advised David. Jehiel son of
Hacmoni took care of the kingís sons. v33 Ahithophel was the kingís
adviser. Hushai, from the town called Arka, was the kingís friend. v34 After
Ahithophel, Jehoiada and Abiathar advised the king. (Jehoiada was Benaiahís
son.)

Joab was the chief officer of the kingís army.

Verses 25-31 These verses are a list of the kingís officials.
They looked after his wealth and they controlled his *vineyards and farms. A
*vineyard is a kind of farm where people produce *grapes.

The sycamore trees in verse 28 were also called sycamore-*fig
trees. They produce a light wood, which is useful for many purposes. They also
yield fruit. That fruit is like the *fig, but its quality is not so good. Poor
people in particular would gather the fruit. The people would cut into the
fruit about 4 days before they picked them. Then the fruit was ready and people
could eat them. There were people whose job was to look after the sycamore-*fig
trees (Amos 7:14).

Verses 32-34 Ahithophel joined Davidís son, Absalom, when Absalom
tried to organise a revolution against David. But when Absalom did not follow
Ahithophelís advice, Ahithophel killed himself (2 Samuel 17:23). Afterwards,
Jehoiada and Abiathar took Ahithophelís place, and they advised King David.

Final preparations for the *temple Ė 1 Chronicles 28:1-29:20

Davidís plans for the *temple Ė 1 Chronicles 28:1-21

v1 David told all the officials of *Israel to come to
Jerusalem. All the leaders of the *tribes and of the 12 groups that served the
king came to him. Also, there were the officers who were over groups of 1000 or
100 men. Also, there were the men who were responsible for all the property and
animals of the king and his sons. And the kingís officials, the powerful men
and all the brave soldiers were there.

v2 King David stood up and he spoke to them all.
He said, ĎListen to me, my relatives and my people. In my heart and mind, I
wanted to build a *temple. It would be a place to keep the *ark of the *LORDís
special promise. This *temple was to be a place for our God to rest his feet.
And I made plans to build it. v3 However, God said to me, ďYou shall not
build a *temple for my name. You must not build it because you are a soldier.
And you have killed many people.Ē

v4 But the *LORD, the God of *Israel, chose me from my
whole family. He made me to be king over *Israel for all time. He chose Judah
as leader. And from the *tribe of Judah, he chose my fatherís family. And from
my fatherís sons, he took delight in me. He made me king over all *Israel. v5 The
*LORD has given to me many sons. And from those sons he has chosen Solomon. He
will sit on the *throne of the *LORDís *kingdom and he will rule over *Israel. v6
The *LORD said to me, ďYour son Solomon will build my *temple and the yards
that will surround it. I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his
father. v7 But he must continue to obey my laws and commands, as
now. If he does this then I will make his *kingdom strong for all time.Ē

v8 Now I say this to you in the sight of all
*Israel, the people of the *LORD. And God is listening to what I say. Be
careful to obey all the commands of the *LORD your God. Then you will possess
this good land. And you will leave it to your children after you for all time.

v9 My son Solomon, know the God whom your father
serves. Serve God with all your heart and mind. Love him and obey him
willingly. The *LORD sees what is in our hearts. He knows every thought that is
in our minds. If you look for him, you will find him. But if you turn from him,
he will always refuse you. v10 Now be careful, because the *LORD has
chosen you to build a *temple as his holy place. Be strong and do the work.í

v11 Then David gave to his son Solomon the plans
of the *temple. There were the plans of the entrances and all the buildings.
There were plans for the rooms for stores and valuable things. There were plans
for the upper rooms and the inner rooms. And there were the plans for the most
holy place where God would forgive *sins. v12 He gave to Solomon
all the plans that the Spirit had given to him. There were the plans for the yards
at the *LORDís *temple and all the surrounding rooms. These included rooms for
the valuable things of the *temple and the valuable gifts from the people. v13 David
gave Solomon instructions about the groups of priests and *Levites. He told him
about all the work that they would do in the *LORDís *temple. Also, he spoke
about all the objects that they would use in the service there. v14 He
said how much gold to use for each gold object. He said how much silver to use
for the silver objects. v15 He told his son the weight in gold for each
gold lamp and its base. He told him how much silver to use for each silver lamp
and its base. (Whether the lamps were gold or silver would depend on their
use.) v16 He told him how much gold to use for each table on which
to place the holy bread. And he told him how much silver to use for the silver
tables. v17 He told him how much pure gold to use to make the
forks, bowls and jugs. He told him how much gold to use for each gold dish. He
told him how much silver to use to make each silver dish. v18 And
he told him how much pure gold to use to make the *altar for *incense. Also, he
gave Solomon the plans for the gold *chariot of the *cherubim. The *cherubim
spread their wings over the *ark of the *LORDís special promise.

v19 David said, ĎI wrote all this as the *LORD
guided me. He caused me to understand all the details of the plan.í

v20 David also said to his son Solomon, ĎBe strong
and brave. And do the work. Do not be afraid. Do not allow anything to scare
you, because the *LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not disappoint you. He
will not leave you. He will be with you until you have finished all the work
for the *LORDís *temple. v21 The groups of the priests and *Levites are
ready for all the work of Godís *temple. Every willing person who has skills in
any trade will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will
do what you tell them to do.í

Verse 1 All this happened in the last year of Davidís rule. It
was in 970 *BC. All the leaders of the people and of the army came to David.
All his officials were there.

Verses 2-3 David was now quite old and weak (1 Kings 1:47). But
he made the effort to stand up when he spoke to the people there.

The desire of Davidís heart was to build a *temple for the *LORD.
The *temple would be a more permanent place for the *ark of Godís special
promise. The *ark was at that time in the tent that David had made for it in
Jerusalem (16:1). The *temple would be the place where God would rest his feet.
This refers to the gold cover over the *ark. Godís seat was between the
*cherubim, which were at the two ends of the *ark. This was where the cloud of
Godís *glory came. It was here that God met with Moses.

David had made the plans for the *temple. He had provided all the
materials for the work to begin. But the *LORD would not let him do it. David
was a man of war and this task was for a man of peace. In other words, God
wanted a peaceful king (and not a soldier) to build the *temple.

Verses 4-7 God chose the *tribe of Judah. From that *tribe, God
chose the family of Jesse. From the family of Jesse, God chose David (1 Samuel
16:10-12). God made David king over *Israel. From the many sons of David, God
chose Solomon to be the next king of *Israel. None of this was the result of
Davidís skill or choice. It was all Godís plan.

God chose David to be king for all time. Of course, David would
not live for all time, but one of his *descendants would always be king. Both
Mary and Joseph had David as their *ancestor (Luke 3:23-31 and Matthew 1:6-16).
Jesus the Son of God is sometimes called King Davidís greater son. That is
because he is both a *descendant of David, and Davidís *Lord (Psalm 110:1; Mark
12:35-37). And Jesusí *kingdom shall never end (Isaiah 9:7). This *kingdom
includes all who accept Jesus as king.

Solomon was the *LORDís choice and he would rule over *Israel.
Therefore, the *Israelites had to accept him as their king. They had to serve
him and they had to obey him. But Solomon had to serve God and he had to obey
God.

Solomon started well but later he did not obey the *LORD. God
made Solomonís *kingdom strong while he lived. But later it became weak because
of his *sin and the peopleís *sin.

God chose Solomon to build the *temple. And God promised to help
him as a father helps his son.

Verse 8 David gave a serious appeal to the people who were
present. The witnesses to what he said were the *LORD and his people. He told
them that they must obey the law of the *LORD. This was essential to the future
of the nation. The *LORD gave to them the country called *Israel as long as
they obeyed him. If they did not obey the *LORD then he would force them out of
that country. But if they did obey the *LORD, the country would pass to their
*descendants.

Verses 9-10 David gave good advice to his son. Solomon needed to
know God with all his inner person. David told Solomon to serve the *LORD with
all his heart and mind. This is good advice for us and for all people. Jesus
said, ĎLove God with your whole person Ė all of your heart, all of your inner
person and all of your mindí (Matthew 22:37).

The *LORD knows each person. He knows their thoughts and desires.
Nobody can hide anything from the *LORD. All people are like open books to him.
But the *LORD will let them find him if they look for him. So, David told his
son to look for the *LORD. If Solomon looks for the *LORD, he will find him.

David warned his son not to turn away from the *LORD. If a person
turns away from the *LORD, the *LORD will turn away from that person.

The *LORD chose Solomon to build the *temple. Therefore, Solomon
must be strong and he must do the work.

Verses 11-18 David gave to Solomon the plans for the *temple and
its rooms. He had received these plans from the Holy Spirit and now he gave
them to his son. Then he described to Solomon the work of the priests and
*Levites. Also, David gave to him the details of all the things that Solomon
had to make for the *temple. He said how much gold to use to make the gold
things. And he told him how much silver to use to make the silver things.

In the *LORDís tent, there had been only one table for the holy
bread. In the *temple, there would be 10 such tables. These would be 10 gold
tables. There would be other silver tables but these would not be for the holy
bread.

The gold *chariot of the *cherubim was probably not the *cherubim
at the ends of the *ark. Those two smaller *cherubim were already on the *ark.
In Psalm 18:10 the *LORD rode on the *cherubim. Ezekiel saw 4 *cherubim and the
*throne of God was above them. The 4 *cherubim and the 4 wheels moved as the
*chariot of God (Ezekiel chapter 1).

In the inner *temple, there would be a pair of large *cherubim.
The workers would make them out of wood and then they would cover them with
gold. The *cherubim would be about 15 feet high. Their wings would reach about
30 feet across the room. They would touch each other in the middle. And each of
them would touch the wall at the side. So, with their wings, they would make a
shelter over the most holy place. They would cover that room, which contained
the *ark of the *LORDís special promise (2 Chronicles 3:10-13). Their purpose
was to show that the *LORD was there. The *LORD sits on his *throne between the
*cherubim (Psalm 99:1).

Verse 19 The *LORD showed to David the plan of the *temple. David
did not design any part of it. God gave him all the details and David wrote
them down.

Verses 20-21 Davidís final advice to his son was that he should
be strong. He should have courage because the *LORD will not fail. Solomon
should have no fear because the *LORD is with him. The *LORD has given to
Solomon the task to build the *temple. The *LORD will be with Solomon until he
has completed the *temple. And with the help of the *LORD, he will succeed.

David had organised the groups of the priests and *Levites. They
were ready to do their work in the *temple. He had arranged already for the
workers who would build the *temple. The people and the officials would all do
what Solomon told them to do. They were ready to build the *temple for their
*LORD.

So, David encouraged his son to do the work. He gave Solomon
confidence to trust in the *LORD. He had done all that he could do in order to
prepare Solomon for the task. He had provided all the materials that Solomon
would need.

Gifts to build the *temple Ė 1 Chronicles 29:1-9

v1 Then King David spoke to all the people who
were there. ĎGod chose my son Solomon. But he is young and he does not have
much experience. The work that he has to do is important. This splendid
building is not for people but for the *LORD God. v2 As far as I was
able, I have provided for the *temple of my God. I have given gold for the
things that you will make out of gold. I have given silver for the things that
you will make out of silver. I have given *bronze for the things that you will
make out of *bronze. I have given iron for the things that you will make out of
iron. I have given wood for the things that you will make out of wood. I have
given a large quantity of all kinds of precious stones. These include the
precious stones called onyx, antimony, stones of many colours and marble. v3
Also, I have much personal wealth in gold and silver. And I give it towards
Godís *temple because I am so eager for it. This is in addition to all that I
have provided for the holy *temple of my God. v4-5 I give 3000
*talents of gold (gold from Ophir) and I give 7000 *talents of pure silver.
These are to cover the *templeís walls and for other work in gold and silver.
Skilled men may use the gold and silver to make things for the *temple. Now,
who is ready to give himself to the service of the *LORD today?í

v6 The family leaders and the leaders of the
*tribes of *Israel gave their gifts. The officers over groups of 1000 men and
groups of 100 men gave their gifts. And the officials who were responsible for
the kingís work gave their gifts. v7 They gave 5000 *talents and
10 000 *darics of gold towards the work of Godís *temple. Also they gave
10 000 *talents of silver and 18 000 *talents of *bronze. And they
gave 100 000 *talents of iron. v8 Anyone who had precious
stones gave them to the store of valuable things for the *LORDís *temple.
Jehiel, from the Gershon *clan, took care of these valuable things. v9 The
people were happy because their leaders genuinely wanted to give these gifts.
With their hearts and minds, they were glad to give to the *LORD. And King
David had great joy as well.

Verses 1-5 David was worried because Solomon was young. Solomon
did not have the experience that David considered necessary. But David had done
all that he could to prepare for the work. Now he was appealing to the people
to support Solomon. He said that God had chosen Solomon. God had given to
Solomon this great task.

The *temple would not be for the honour of any person. It was for
the *LORD God alone. And for that reason it was a most important task to build
it. The Ďsplendid buildingí in verse 1 means a palace. A palace is the place
where the king lives. This *temple was to be the palace where the *LORD would
live. The *LORD was the ruler over the king and the *Israelites.

David makes a list of the sort of things that he had provided for
the *temple. He had given gold, silver, *bronze and iron. He had given wood and
all kinds of precious stones. These stone were of many colours. And the marble
was of the purest white.

Onyx and antimony are precious stones. Marble is a hard white
rock. Builders use it because of its white colour.

David had become a very wealthy man. He was eager that the *LORD
should have a splendid *temple. So now, he gave his personal wealth to help in
the task. He gave 3000 *talents of gold. Gold from Ophir was then the best and
most pure gold in the world. We do not know where Ophir was. Also, he gave 7000
*talents of pure silver.

Then David appealed to all those people to do as he had done. He
asked them to give themselves to the service of the *LORD. This means that they
would give much of their wealth to the *LORD.

Verses 6-9 All the leaders who were there answered the appeal.
They all gave their gifts for the work of Godís *temple. Together, they gave a
vast quantity of metals. Also, they gave their precious stones.

There were 5000 *talents and 10 000 *darics of gold and 10 000
*talents of silver. There were 18 000 *talents (about 600 tons) of *bronze and
100 000 *talents (about 3400 tons) of iron.

Jehiel received all these gifts. He and his sons had control of
the stores of valuable things for the *temple (26:20-22).

The leaders gave these gifts because they wanted to give. It gave
them much pleasure to give to the *LORD. That is how the *LORD wants his people
to give (2 Corinthians 9:7). The people in Israel were very pleased that their
leaders were so willing to give. And David too was glad because the leaders had
given with such a good attitude.

Davidís prayer Ė 1 Chronicles 29:10-20

v10 David praised the *LORD in front of all the
people who were present there. He said, ĎWe praise you *LORD, the God of our
*ancestor *Israel. We praise you now and for all time. v11 Yours, *LORD,
is the greatness, and the power. Yours is the *glory and you defeat all
enemies. You are the king because everything belongs to you. You own all that
is in the heavens and in the earth. *LORD, yours is the *kingdom. You are so
powerful that you rule over everyone and everything. v12 Wealth and
honour come from you; you are the ruler of all things. You act with strength
and power. You chose whom to make great and you give strength to all people. v13
Now, our God, we thank you and we praise your wonderful name.

v14 These gifts did not really come from my people and
me. All things come from you. We give to you only what you have given to us. v15
We are to you like foreigners and strangers here on the earth as were our
*ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow and there is no hope. v16
*LORD our God, we have gathered all this material to build your *temple for
your holy name. But it all came from you and it all belongs to you. v17
I know, my God, that you test peopleís hearts. It pleases you when people do
the right things. I was happy to give to you all these things. I gave them to
you with an honest heart. Your people who are here gave gifts to you with joy
in their hearts. And I was glad when I saw it. v18 *LORD, you are the
God of our *ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and *Israel. Keep this desire
in the hearts of your people for all time. Keep their hearts loyal to you. v19
Give to my son Solomon the desire in his heart always to obey you. Help him to
obey your commands, laws and rules. And cause him to build the *temple for
which I have prepared.í

v20 Then David said to all the people, ĎPraise the
*LORD your God.í So, they all praised the *LORD, the God of their *ancestors.
And they fell with their faces to the ground in front of both the *LORD and the
king.

Verses 10-13 This prayer of David is one of the most beautiful of
all the prayers in the Bible. It turns attention away from David, Solomon and
the *temple. It is a prayer of thanks. And David praises God alone.

The *LORD was the God of Jacob, who was also called *Israel. He
was the *ancestor of the people in the country called *Israel.

The *LORD deserves all honour for all time. We should always
praise him.

The *LORD is greater than all persons and things. He is perfect
in every way. Nobody can stand against him. He is the king of kings because he
owns everything in heaven and on the earth. David was a great king but the
*kingdom belonged to the *LORD. At the end of the prayer that we call the
*Lordís Prayer, we say: ĎFor the *kingdom, the power, and the *glory are yours
for all time.í

All that we have came from God. He rules over all the affairs of
our world. He is wonderful. He deserves our thanks. We praise God for who he
is.

Verses 14-19 David and the people had given all these valuable
things to the *LORD. But they gave only what they had received from the *LORD.
All that we have has come to us from God. All that we own is really his
property.

All things belong to God. We are as strangers who enjoy his
benefits on earth for a short time. We cannot have a permanent place here. Our
lives here are like shadows. They appear for a short time and then they go
away.

God knows us. He knows what is in our hearts and minds. He knows
our thoughts and actions. He knows why we do things. The reason David gave so
much was to give honour to his God. He and the people did not give because it
was their duty to give. They wanted to do it. They were happy to give to the
*LORD. This attitude of heart pleases the *LORD.

David prays that the people will always have this same attitude
toward the *LORD. He prays that they will be loyal to the *LORD.

David ends his prayer as he prays for Solomon. He asks that
Solomon will love the *LORD with all his heart. He asks that Solomon will obey
all the laws of God. And he asks that Solomon will build the *temple.

Verse 20 David told the people to praise the *LORD. And they did
praise the God of their *ancestors. They fell with their faces to the ground in
*worship to God. They did this in front of David, the king whom God had chosen.

Solomon becomes king and the death of David Ė 1 Chronicles 29:21-30

v21 The next day, the people gave *sacrifices and
*burnt *sacrifices to the *LORD. These *sacrifices were 1000 *bulls, 1000 male
sheep and 1000 young sheep with their gifts of drinks. And there were many more
*sacrifices for the *Israelites. v22 That day the people ate and
drank with much joy. And the *LORD was with them.

They made Davidís son Solomon king for the second time. They
poured oil on his head as the *LORDís ruler, and on Zadokís head to be priest. v23 Then
Solomon sat on the *LORDís *throne as king and he took his father Davidís
place. Solomon was successful, and all the *Israelites obeyed him. v24 All
the leaders, the chief soldiers and all of King Davidís sons promised to obey
King Solomon.

v25 The *LORD made Solomon very powerful, as all
*Israel could see. He gave to him royal honour like no king of *Israel before
him ever had.

v26 David, the son of Jesse, had ruled as king
over all *Israel. v27 He had ruled over *Israel for 40 years. He
ruled 7 years in Hebron and 33 years in Jerusalem. v28 David was
old when he died. He had lived a good and long life. He had received much
wealth and honour. His son Solomon became king after him.

v29 The *prophets Samuel, Gad and Nathan recorded all
the deeds that King David had done. They recorded all that he did from the
beginning to the end. v30 The records tell how he ruled. They show
how powerful he was. They include all the things that happened to him, to
*Israel, and to all the other *kingdoms.

Verses 21-22a (Ď22aí means the first part of verse 22.) On the
next day, the people made many *sacrifices on the *altar. David had built the
*altar at the place that he bought from Araunah (21:18). They would later build
the *temple at that place.

These *sacrifices were for peace and to give thanks to the *LORD.
The priests burned certain parts of the animals on the *altar. Then the priests
would have some of the meat. Their part was the breast and the upper right leg
of the animal (Leviticus 7:28-36). The people could eat the rest of the meat as
the guests of the *LORD.

There were many thousands of *sacrifices on that day. So the
people had plenty of meat and drink to enjoy.

Verses 22b-25 (Ď22bí means the last part of verse 22.) One of
Davidís sons, Adonijah, had tried to make himself king of *Israel. As soon as
David found out, he called for Zadok the priest and Nathan the *prophet. He
sent them to Gihon with his son Solomon. There they poured oil on Solomonís
head and they made him the king. And they declared to all the people that
Solomon was the king of *Israel. Then the people shouted, ĎWe pray that King
Solomon will have a long life!í That was the first time that they made Solomon
king (1 Kings chapter 1).

This second time they again made Solomon the king of *Israel.
They knew that he was the *LORDís choice. So, they poured oil on him as their
king. Also, they poured oil on Zadok to make him the chief priest. Zadok and
Abiathar had been the chief priests. But now Zadok alone was the chief priest.

The *LORD was the real ruler of *Israel. Therefore, Solomon sat
on the *LORDís *throne. He was the king of *Israel but he was under the
authority of the *LORD.

The *LORD made Solomon a successful and powerful king. The
country had peace during the time that he ruled. God made him wise and he
became wealthy. He was famous among the nations. And he received much honour
from them. He received more honour than the kings of *Israel who ruled before
him.

When Solomon became king, all the leaders promised to obey him.
This included the army and all the sons of David.

Verses 26-30 David had a long life, wealth and honour. Also, he
had a son who ruled after him. In all David had ruled for 40 years. He ruled
over Judah (southern *Israel) in Hebron for 7 years. Then he ruled over all
*Israel in Jerusalem for 33 years.

The chief *prophets during the life of David were Samuel, Gad and
Nathan. Each of these recorded what they knew of Davidís life. Between them,
they recorded all that he had done. We do not now have the books of Gad and
Nathan. But we do have a record of Davidís life in the Books of 1 Samuel, 2
Samuel and 1 Chronicles.

Word List

altar ~ the special table where the priests burned animals
or other gifts to God (or to false gods).

ancestors ~ people in history from whom your family has
come.

angel ~ one of Godís special servants from heaven. God
made angels to serve him and to take his messages.

ark ~ the ark of the *LORD or the ark of God; the Bible
also calls it Ďthe ark of Godís special promiseí. It was a wooden box with gold
all over the outside and inside. It had two models of gold *cherubim on the top
(see Exodus 25:10-22). The *Israelites kept the ark in the most holy place;
first in the *LORDís tent and then in the *temple.

BC ~ years before Christ was born.

bronze ~ a kind of metal. Its colour is brown, but it
polishes well. It is very strong.

bulls ~ the male farm animals of which the females are
cows.

burnt (sacrifice) ~ a *sacrifice that the priests burned
completely on the *altar.

cedar ~ a kind of tree. Its wood is very beautiful.

chariot ~ a kind of cart that soldiers use to fight.
Horses pull it.

cherubim ~ special *angels who were in the most holy place
of the *temple.

clan ~ part of a *tribe, a group of families.

cymbals ~ a kind of musical instrument. A person hits two
cymbals together to make a loud crash.

daric ~ a coin whose weight was about a quarter of an
ounce (about 7 grams).

descendant ~ a future member of a family or nation.

disaster ~ when something very bad happens.

donkey ~ an animal that is like a small horse. It can
carry people or goods.

exile ~ When people have to live in a foreign country,
they are in exile. Such a person is called an exile.

fig ~ a kind of sweet fruit that grows on a tree.

glory ~ great honour and beauty.

grape ~ a fruit which people use to make wine.

Hagrites ~ people from various *tribes in the desert. They
were *descendants of Hagar, the mother of Ishmael.

harp ~ a musical instrument that has many strings.

Hebrew ~ the language of *Israel. ĎHebrewsí is another
name for the *Israelites.

incense ~ a substance that gives a sweet smell when it
burns. The priests burned it when they praised God in the *temple.

Israel ~ Israel is the special name that God gave to
Jacob. His *descendants were called Israel after him. So, Israel is the nation
whose *ancestors were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The country in which they live
is called Israel.

Israelites ~ the people whose *ancestors are Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.

Jebusites ~ people who lived in the city called Jebus.
David defeated them and he changed the name of the city to Jerusalem.

Jews ~ another name for the *Israelites.

Jewish ~ a word that describes a *Jew or anything that
belongs to a *Jew.

kilogram ~ measurement of weight; also called a kilo. It
is slightly over 2 pounds.

kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules and
the people over whom a king rules.

Levite ~ a person who belongs to the *tribe of Levi.

lord ~ someone with authority such as the king.

Lord ~ a title for God, to show that he is over all people
and things.

LORD ~ ĎLORDí is the special name that God gave to
himself. The name probably means: ĎHe is always God.í This name has a
relationship with Godís special promises to his people.

lots ~ a way to make a decision. People seemed to decide
the matter by chance when they used this method. But they believed that, in
fact, God guided them to make the right decision.

lyre ~ a kind of musical instrument with strings.

Mount ~ mountain.

olive ~ a fruit from which we get olive oil. It grows on
an olive tree.

ox ~ a large and
strong animal that farmers used to pull the plough. See also *bull.

oxen ~ plural of *ox.

prophecy ~ a message from God; a gift of the Holy Spirit.

prophesy ~ to speak a *prophecy.

prophet ~ a person who speaks for God. He can sometimes
say what will happen in the future.

repent ~ to change the mind; to turn away from *sin and
turn to God.

Sabbath ~ The Sabbath was the 7th day of the week
(Saturday) which God told the *Israelites to keep as a special day. They did
not work on that day. They used it for rest and for *worship.

sacrifice ~ The priests killed a special animal when
people offered it as a gift to God. They burned all or part of it on an *altar.
That animal was called a sacrifice. They offered a sacrifice when they asked
God to forgive *sins. When Jesus died, he was the perfect sacrifice for our
*sins. ĎTo sacrificeí means Ďto give a sacrificeí.

Satan ~ a spirit that God made. Satan was an *angel but he
decided to fight against God. Satan tries to persuade Godís people to do wrong
things. But Satan can only do this when God permits him to do it. In the New
Testament (the second part of the Bible), the writers call him Ďthe devilí.

shekel ~ equal to one ounce in weight.

sin ~ Sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do
wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. People are called sinners because
they are guilty of sin.

sling ~ The sling was a *weapon. It was a bit of leather
with two strings. The soldier would put a smooth stone in the leather bit. Then
he would swing it round above his head by the strings. Finally, he would let
the stone fly out of the sling.

spears ~ long sticks with sharp ends that soldiers used as
*weapons during battles.

talent ~ measurement of weight equal to 75 pounds or 34
*kilograms.

temple ~ a special building for the *worship of God. Or, a
building for the *worship of false gods. The *Jews had a temple in Jerusalem
for the *worship of the real God.

throne ~ the special chair for the king.

tribe ~ The *Israelites originally consisted of the 12
large families of the sons of Jacob. These families became the 12 tribes of
*Israel.

trumpet ~ a kind of musical instrument; it makes a loud
sound when a person blows into it.

vineyard ~ a farm where *grapes grow.

weapon ~ a tool of war that soldiers use in attack or
defence during a battle, for example: swords, *spears and *slings.

worship ~ acts to show honour to God (or to a false god).
When people praise and thank God.